Grains of Sand: Guren
by AnimeWolfGirl16
Summary: There were things in life that you learned that would help you later on. Guren realized this now, as he looked back on all that had happened. GurenXMahiru, Part of the Grains of Sand series
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places, etc. in Seraph of the End. It all belongs to their respectful owners.**

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Chapter 1

Guren couldn't help but think that the boy had been so much like himself at that age.

 _We're both generations apart and yet…_

He peered through the viewing glass to see Yuichiro, the kid, still sleeping on the bed. What the kid didn't know was that Guren had been watching him for a while now, seeing how he was reacting to the situation.

 _So far, despite the trauma, he seems to be holding up well…_

He watched as the kid stirred in his sleep, like he was having some form of nightmare, before he settled back down. It had been happening shortly after the kid had fallen asleep; every now and then he would stir only to quickly fall back into a peaceful slumber. He knew that the time must be pretty early in the morning, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave, knowing that any minute the kid could wake up and the real observing would start.

 _Mahiru will be so angry at me…_ He thought with a chuckle. She always seemed to be trying to take care of him, and vice versa. He thought back to the 'project' that Mahiru had taken on, the young boy named Yoichi.

 _We both seem to be pretty occupied with the future lately…_

He knew he would most likely tell Mahiru about Yuichiro, since it was only fair that he shared his 'project' with her as she had him. They had met on various occasions while Yoichi was in the room.

 _Come to think of it, both of them have similar experiences with vampires…_

He looked up as the door to the 'secret' room opened and he let out an irritated sigh as he saw it was one of the lower ranking officials.

"What is it?" He asked, clearly irked at being disturbed despite the fact that nothing major seemed to be happening. The young guard seemed to hesitate before stepping further into the room and saluting.

"Sir, General Tenri Hiragi has yet to get your report on the situation." Guren sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

 _Hiragi's and their need to be in power…_

He leaned his chair back against the wall behind him and propped his feet on the top of the desk. He gave the official a disinterested look before going back to watching Yuichiro.

"Tell him I'm busy." He felt a bit of satisfaction when the guard looked surprised and began shifting in nervousness on how to deal with the situation.

 _That should make him leave._

"But sir…" The guard began timidly and Guren let out another irritated sigh. "You have to conform to the rules…"

 _Rules, rules, rules, that's all I hear now a days…_

He moved from his relaxed position, sending the guard a withering glare, as he stood up.

"I said," He began, moving to walk towards the glass of the viewing port to lean against it, before continuing. "that I would give it to him later, alright?"

The guard's eyes widened in fright, and Guren watched as he nodded before quickly leaving. He turned his gaze back towards the sleeping boy now that the disturbance had left.

 _I can't believe that you're the one…_

He walked back towards the chair and leaned back to his previous position before leaning his head back against the wall.

 _Might as well try and get some sleep._ He thought as he closed his eyes, knowing that he would hear if there was a disturbance in the boy's room. _Besides, it's not like the boy can go anywhere with the door being locked…_

* * *

 **Welcome everyone to the first installment in Guren's backstory! This story takes place before the start of the show, when Guren is younger (I think he's 18…) although there will be flash-forwards, to during/ slightly before the show. I figured I might as well get this released before the light novel comes out and ruins all my fun. Also, for those of you who are confused about the whole 'Grains of Sand' part in the title, it means that this is part of a series that AnimeWolfGirl9 and I will be writing. Please let me know what you all thought! :)**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shadechu Nightray:** I'm glad you liked the first chapter! Just to let you know, Mahiru will act drastically different than in the main series (light novels, show, manga, etc.) simply because we began planning this before much was known about her.

 **Note: This is a flashback to the events that happened before the series started so if any of you are confused, that's why. :)**

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Chapter 2

Guren cursed as he was brought out of his thoughts when a wooden sword slammed into his side. He quickly put himself on guard, trying to defend the wounded area before his opponent got out of battle position and sneered down at him.

"Ichinose! Pay attention to what you're doing!" His gaze whipped over towards their drill instructor, Kiseki Gisei, who was quickly making his way towards them.

Guren winced before shooting a glare over towards his sparring partner, Ushi Tamada. The man- _no boy, he's only a year older than me_ \- with bright red hair and brown eyes, who always looked down at Guren just because of his lower status. Before he could give a verbal retort to Ushi's attitude against him, their instructor was standing by impatiently.

"Ichinose, what was so important that it would have cost you your life in a real battle?" Now that Guren thought about it, he would have been dead in an instant had this been with actual weapons. Since they were just trainees though, they were required to use wooden swords to hone their skills. He felt his face heat up a bit in embarrassment. Normally no matter what reason you had for being distracted wasn't important, it was just a mandatory question that instructors had to ask.

"Nothing." He replied before glancing down towards the dirt covered training floor. The floor was covered this way so that they could train in different environments, sometimes it was slick with water, others with rocks and dead tree stumps.

"Nothing what?" His instructor asked, and Guren couldn't help letting out a small, irritated sigh.

"Nothing, sir." His instructor didn't say anything after that and Guren knew that he was watching the two of them to see how they would react.

"That's the kind of effort you get from a member of the Ichinose family." Ushi sneered, causing Guren's gaze to snap back up and anger to fill him. He was about to lunge towards his sparring partner and teach him a lesson, but the instructor held up his hand.

"Put aside family hierarchy for a moment and instead think of working as a team."

Confusion filled Guren at what the instructor said.

 _Teamwork won't get you anywhere in life and especially with someone like_ him _on your team…_

"Teamwork! With him!" He heard Ushi cry out in disgust and he couldn't help taking a threatening step towards the boy.

"I could say the same thing! Your just as much as a pain in the-!" The rest of his sentence was cut off when their instructor got between the two of them, sending them both hard looks. Guren gritted his teeth before backing up, knowing that fighting would just get him into more trouble.

"Are we done?" Their instructor asked them both before he nodded his head, stepping back a bit. "Good, now do the exercise again."

It was at this moment that Guren noticed that there wasn't the sound of other students practicing. He looked around the field in confusion to find everyone else already gone.

 _Go figure. The one day that I need to not be late, I will be…_ Guren thought with a sigh as he got into the battle position again. Ushi did the same, and they both circled each other, staying a respectable distance away so that they could react if either of them made a move.

Guren was just about to react and charge towards his opponent when he faltered, seeing something, or more like someone walking towards the field in the distance.

 _Mahiru…_ He thought, a blush creeping onto his face when he saw her wave at him, her long purple hair trailing behind her. He was about to wave back when he felt something hit him smack in the abdomen. With the wind knocked out of him, he could only try and regain his footing, remembering that he was in a fight. He looked angrily over at Ushi who was smirking again.

"What's got you so distracted this time? You're clearly not day-dreaming this time." The boy looked over his shoulder and Guren couldn't help feeling angry when the boy spotted Mahiru.

"Isn't that the Hiragi chick?" He heard Ushi ask before the boy looked back and forth between Guren and Mahiru, confusion evident on the older boy's face. "What are you looking at her for?"

Guren bit back a few replies, none really sounding appropriate, at why he was looking at Mahiru. What the other boy did next made his blood boil. He gave a low whistle, probably trying to get Mahiru's attention, before smiling widely when she looked over at him in confusion.

"Hey girl! Watch me beat this scum into the earth then maybe you and I can go and get something to eat!" Mahiru's face turned red at this, although Guren couldn't tell if it was from anger, embarrassment, or something else.

 _This guy needs to be stopped!_

Guren looked towards Ushi's unprotected face, while the older boy was bragging.

 _It's great for target practice but…_

He glanced over towards the side to see General Gisei watching them both with glanced back towards his opponent, deciding that if he was going to make a move, he might as well do it while his opponent was distracted.

Guren lunged towards the older boy, smacking the flat of his blade against the boy's face, before ducking low when his surprised opponent tried for a feeble defensive maneuver. He swung his feet against the older boy's ankles, making him fall towards the floor of the arena, before pointing his sword at his opponent's unprotected throat. He stopped himself, although he knew that he would very much like to drive the point into his enemies' neck.

 _That should teach him!_ He thought with a smirk before he looked to the side when he heard clapping. He glanced in puzzlement at their instructor who had an amused look on his face.

"Very well executed Ichinose." General Gisei glanced towards Ushi, amusement still clear on his face. "Go clean yourself up Tamada and be back here at dawn tomorrow. For your defeat, you get extra drills to teach you not to be distracted." Ushi only had a shocked look on his face, as he tried to stand up, with the first attempt failing before he was able to get back to his feet.

"B-but sir! Ichinose was distracted as well!" Guren couldn't bite back a snicker at how childish Ushi was acting. He froze however when the instructor gave him a disinterested look.

"Yes… but as you saw Ichinose didn't allow himself to be defeated so humiliatingly despite being initially distracted." General Gisei turned towards Guren, with Guren not being able to keep the victorious smile off of his face. "Ichinose!"

Guren stood at attention, ready to hear what instructions were for his training tomorrow.

"Yes sir?" he asked, knowing that it was standard protocol to allow the instructor to know that he had his full attention.

"As your… reward, take the rest of the day off and tomorrow as well." Guren couldn't help but feel confused at the instructions.

"Sir?" He asked in confusion, taking a quick glance over at Mahiru, who had now moved closer and looked relieved. His instructor also glanced over towards Mahiru, looking curiously back and forth between the two before shrugging.

"Spend your day off with her if you want." Guren couldn't stop his face from lighting up at that suggestion. He looked over to see the furious face of Ushi, who was also glancing back between the two.

 _Serves him right. Social rankings don't matter when it comes to friends._

He quickly saluted to the General before walking past Ushi and towards Mahiru, who face was also tinted a bit red. She quickly shook her head and waved at him, with him this time waving back. He could see the mirth in her eyes as they sparkled at him like gems.

"So… what kept you?" He decided to humor her although she already knew the answer.

"I just got caught up is all, you know, training and all that." She laughed at this and Guren couldn't stop the smile that made its way onto his face.

 _Having friends like her isn't so bad…_

* * *

 **So first off, please don't be angry at me for making Guren act like Yu-chan when he's younger! It's just the way I thought of it since they still act alike even though he's older in the show. Either way, this fanfiction is going to go a bit in circles. Most of it will be in the 'past' (as in before the show) and then later on catch up to it. So for now we have a younger version of Guren until we catch up with the main timeline. :) Please let me know what you thought in a review! Also, feel free to ask me questions if you get confused and I'll try to answer then with non-spoilers if I can. Have a nice week!**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So, what do you want to do?" He startled back to reality when he heard Mahiru's question.

"What?" He asked, feeling his face light up when she laughed.

"Come on silly! Weren't you paying attention?" He shook his head, embarrassment filling him when she laughed again. They were currently walking around the neighborhood, trying to figure out what to do for the day. When he had been given today off as well as the rest of yesterday, he just couldn't believe it.

 _I thought Gisei was just a heartless jerk…_

"Sorry, I was thinking." Mahiru tilted her head a bit before leaping up to walk on one of the sidewalk curbs. She always did try to see how long she could keep her balance on them before having to hop back down.

"About what?" She asked before her face lit up in a smile. "Oh! Was it about me~!"

"No!" He blurt out as she laughed harder, still keeping her balance. His face became red and he couldn't help but let out a huff of pretend irritation. He knew that she was just joking with him. "You're acting too much like your sister." He stated before she slapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah? I thought you liked it when I acted like this~?" He felt a blush heat up on his face as she gazed down at him. He cleared his throat before looking across the street, trying to get his face to stop being red.

"No, it's childish." He stated expecting a silly retort from her but was confused when he didn't get one. He glanced back at her, uncertain about why she didn't respond. Her head was bowed and she had stopped walking, falling behind a bit. He tried to get a closer look at her and briefly wondered if he had really upset her that much.

 _Seriously!? She can't be offended already…_

He walked a bit closer, feeling worried.

"Hey…" He began but then jolted back when she looked up at him, smiling widely.

"Did you seriously think I was crying~? Man it takes more than that to get me upset~" She said with a laugh before he sighed.

 _You're acting different than usual today…_

"Geez… that was mean…" He trailed off as they started walking again. She just skipped alongside him.

"So… what do you want to do again?" He looked over at her in confusion. She rolled her eyes, and he resisted the urge to stick out his tongue.

 _She always seems to be able to make me act childish…_

"It's your day off so we can do whatever you want." She started before getting a big smirk on her face. "We can go sit by a fire all alone eating chocolate~" She suggested and although it was a teasing remark, he still felt himself blushing again.

 _What is with her today? I mean, yeah we tease each other a lot but other than that nothing really big has come of it…_

"How about ice cream?" He suggested with her nodding her consent.

It didn't take long to get to the small ice cream parlor that was just a few minutes' walk away from their neighborhood. They had quickly ordered what they wanted before sitting down to face a small lake that was beside the outdoor sitting area in the area.

"So… what do you want to do after this? Or are we going to spend all day eating ice cream~?" She asked, licking her raspberry flavored ice cream while they stared out at the lake. He turned his gaze towards her, wondering what they were going to do.

"I don't know… I've never really had a day off before…" At least he hadn't since he was a kid. Vacation was a luxury in today's world. Although they were at peace, they were constantly preparing for what could attack them next. Mahiru stared out at the lake, deep in thought.

"Hmm… oh! I have an idea!" She stated suddenly, looking excited. He glanced at her curiously.

"Well… what is it?" He asked, eating the rest of his cone in a hurry to be led to wherever Mahiru was going to take him. The last time this had happened, it had taken nearly all day.

 _Plus she can get pretty impatient when she wants to…_

"Not telling~" She smiled at him as she replied, also finishing off her ice cream. He groaned and she laughed at him again.

"Seriously? Not this again…" She got out of her seat and grabbed his hand, dragging him off towards the street.

"Come on! Just play along~" She stated before continuing to lead him towards her destination.

* * *

 **So kind of a short chapter this time but I hope you enjoyed it none the less! I'm happy to see that people are actually reading this fanfiction (even though I don't consider myself the best person who can write Guren out there) :). Does Mahiru remind you of anyone with the way she acts? Give it a guess although it might be kind of obvious. Have a nice week until the next update!**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


	4. Chapter 4

**Eramis8:** Completely, and he doesn't even notice. :)

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Chapter 4

"The library?" He asked and Mahiru laughed again before she pulled on his arm.

"Yeah! It's really fun I promise!" He sighed but allowed her to pull him along, figuring that he might as well just go along with it.

 _I knew she'd drag me here sooner or later…_

They checked in at the front desk and she led him into the various aisles, telling him what genre was in which aisle. He didn't really care about all of that, he just watched her as she animatedly talked about some of the book series that the library held.

 _She really likes books…_

She led him to the children's section, which made him even more confused.

"Why are we here?" She looked at him in confusion before he restated his question. "I mean, why are we in this section, why not the one for teens?"

She just laughed at him before pulling a book off of the shelves and handing it to him.

"I thought you might like this series~!" His face heated up once he saw what the series was and he quickly put the book back.

"I'm not reading a book about talking ponies!" He yelled after her as she laughed while looking at another series, grabbing a few books off of the shelves. His face heated up in embarrassment when a few of the other people turned to look at him. He quickly caught up to Mahiru, as she chose out more books.

"Geez… look what you did now Mahiru! Now no one's going to let me live that down…"

She only laughed at his reaction before continuing to walk down the aisle. He sighed before following her, only stopping for a brief second when she handed him the stack of books before grabbing a few more for her to carry. Curious, he looked down in confusion to see the books that she had grabbed were all for little kids.

"Hey Mahiru." He began and she turned to look at him. "Why are all of these books for little kids?"

 _I mean, her reading level's already higher than what grade she's in…_

"They're for my little sister." She stated, before walking towards the register, where they would check out the books.

"Your sister?" He asked, feeling confused.

 _Does she have another sibling that I don't know about…?_

"Yeah silly. Did you forget already? Her name's Shinoa." When Mahiru said the name, a blurry picture entered his head of a younger girl with short purple hair.

"Oh… her. You mean the one who teases me all the time?" Mahiru nodded her head as she took the books from Guren's arms and put them on the table as the library attendant kept checking them out.

"I wouldn't have guessed that she liked to read…" He stated, it almost like an afterthought rather than something to be said out loud.

"Yeah… she loves it! I always try to get some books for her at least once a week. I would bring her here, but she always seems to have too much homework…"

Guren looked at her in confusion at this.

"But isn't she homeschooled?" He asked, vaguely remembering the time they had stopped at the house to see her. It was still a mystery to Guren as to why Mahiru was allowed to go to school but her sister wasn't…

"Yeah… her tutor seems to just keep giving her harder stuff to work on… A lot of the times I have to help her so that she understands it…" Mahiru said that in a whisper before she shook her head.

 _But… why would the tutor go harder on her…? It just doesn't make sense…_

"Well this is all great and stuff… but if you brought me here on an errand and if that's all then I might be disappointed." He joked and she immediately perked up before turning back towards the librarian.

"Would you please hold these for a few minutes while I show my friend something?" She grabbed Guren's hand when the librarian nodded and dragged him off again.

Before he knew it, they were heading outside from one of the exits labeled throughout the library. This confused Guren greatly, and he glanced over at Mahiru.

"Why are we leaving? Don't you need to get your books?" He asked, and she laughed again.

"Of course silly but I want to show you something first." He allowed her to drag him and soon they were at a set of steps leading upward. Curious, he followed her after she let go of his hand.

 _Where does this lead?_

What awaited them at the top was some sort of open pavilion overlooking the lake. If he looked far enough, he could see their neighborhood.

 _How have I not realized that this was here before…?_

He glanced over to see Mahiru looking at him excitedly.

"So… what do you think?" She asked and he took a look back at the lake, which was currently reflecting the orange sky.

 _I guess we were in there longer than I thought…_

"It's beautiful…" He stated, trailing off only to here Mahiru laugh. He looked over to see her glancing at him and then the lake.

"Your face is in complete awe right now. It's actually quite funny…" She hid another laugh behind her hand.

"That's not fair! I'm just not easily impressed!" He stated, feeling his face heat up a little. She laughed at him again before turning back to look at the lake.

"But you are right. It is beautiful…" He looked at her face and he couldn't help the confusion that hit him.

 _She looks… sad?_

"Is something going on?" He asked and she turned towards him, confusion on her face. "It's just that you seem different today…"

She looked down at her feet, biting her lip. She looked back out at the lake before answering, not meeting him gaze.

"Not really, today's just one of those days…" He grew concerned at this. Mahiru didn't often talk about her family but when she did, it was only of Shinoa. If something was bothering her…

 _I know for a fact that she has other family members, so could something be going on between them…?_

"Is it something between you and the rest of your family?" He asked, trying to keep the concern out of his voice. Mahiru just turned towards him and gave him a sad smile.

"Maybe someday I'll tell you about it…" She smirked again, probably trying to keep him from worrying. "Besides… we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other~" At this he grew confused.

"Wha-?" He began but was cut off when she placed her lips on his. It wasn't like anything he had ever experienced. Her lips were soft, teasing and yet he vaguely tasted raspberry.

 _Most likely from the ice cream…_ His brain rationalized.

She pulled back from him, smiling. He could only stare at her in shock, his brain not wanting to function.

"Well~ I'll see you tomorrow~" She smiled again before running down the steps and back into the library.

 _Did that… really happen?_ He asked himself, before he began to smile. He then laughed and looked back out at the setting sun.

"Yes!" He yelled triumphantly before running back towards his house, all the more determined to continue training tomorrow.

* * *

 **Things escalated quickly between the two but hey, I just couldn't keep them apart. :) Hints of Mahiru's family life as well in this chapter. Originally this was supposed to be posted on Christmas but… let's just say I was busy and leave it at that. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas though and also a Happy New Year (since the next chapter will most likely be posted after New Year's) :). Please let me know what you all thought of the chapter as well.**

 **P.S.- Another late Christmas gift is also being posted tonight: two more Grains of Sand installments! Can you guess who they are? I'll give you all a hint, one has black hair and the other blonde. (This should make it a lot easier for you all :)) AnimeWolfGirl9 is writing one and I'm writing the other (although for all of you who have my profile followed will probably get the email for the story either way) but just in case you don't, go check out the Grains of Sand installment on her profile as well.**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


	5. Chapter 5

**Eramis8:** More MahiruXGuren, plus his training continues, even if only briefly mentioned in the chapter. :)

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Chapter 5

"What're you smiling about Ichinose?" General Gisei yelled over at him. Guren startled, before his face lit up in embarrassment.

 _Nothing you'd be interested about…_

"N-nothing…" He said, trailing off, feeling the blush deepen. He just couldn't help it. Since what had happened with Mahiru the previous night had gotten him all excited, his mind had been wandering all day.

"Ha! 'Nothing' he says!" Ushi cried out, laughter soon following. Guren whipped his head around to glare at his rival. Without thinking, he automatically replied,

"Well it would certainly interest you! Just not an old man like Gisei!" It took him a moment to realize what he said before instant dread filled him.

 _Did I seriously just say that…?_

He glanced over towards General Gesei and winced at the dark look on the general's face. Sure he knew that the man wasn't _that_ old, but to Guren, it seemed like there was a major gap in ages between the students and teachers.

"Old man, hmm?" Their instructor began walking over calmly and that was when Guren knew he was in trouble. "Well… this 'old man' says that you should be doing forty push-ups right now."

The man gave him a look that clearly stated that he shouldn't disagree with him. Guren didn't feel like arguing, although he did wish that he could wipe the smug look off of Ushi's face, so he dropped to the ground and started counting.

 _Well I guess he is still a heartless jerk after all… although I guess I did deserve this…_

* * *

"What happened to you?" Mahiru asked Guren while she took in his appearance. Guren was still breathing heavy from the training that they had received that day.

"Umm… I just got into a bit of a fight." He stated, and she looked at him disapprovingly. He winced when she grabbed his arm and frowned down at it. He had accidentally cut his elbow on the metal training equipment.

"Yeah… 'a bit of a fight' what did you do, whack each other with swords?" She asked as she inspected the wound and Guren sighed.

 _If she's unhappy about the 'fight that didn't happen this time' then she'd really be upset about what had actually happened…_

"Yeah… something like that…" He trailed off, looking across the field where General Gesei was giving some pointer to Ushi. Guren knew he should be over there but training was technically done for the day, and he would rather hang out with Mahiru.

 _Especially since things are different between us now…_

He let out a smile at this and continued to stare at the 'lesson' while Mahiru fixed up his wound. He winced when he felt some wet being smeared on it. He glanced over at Mahiru to see that she had a small first aid pack out and was using an alcohol wipe.

"Do you bring that thing everywhere?" He asked and she laughed before continuing to fix up his arm. He didn't get an answer so he turned his attention back towards the other end of the field. His confusion grew when he saw that Gesei and Ushi were both staring at the two, Ushi in confusion and Gesei with an amused look on his face.

 _What're you all staring for?_

He looked across, confused before he felt Mahiru shift beside him. He couldn't help but let out a smile though when he felt Mahiru's lips on his cheek. She had given him a quick peck on the cheek to get his attention, which of course it worked. He let out a small laugh at Ushi's outraged expression.

 _Serves you right!_

He got up, looking over towards Mahiru to see a smirk on her face as well. She was clearly amused as well.

"Come on hero. What are we going to do today?" She asked, as she pulled on his hand. He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face as he stared at her.

"Whatever you want. Anything's fine with me." She only laughed at this and continued to pull him towards where she wanted.

"Anything?" She asked and batted her eyelashes. He could feel his smile grow.

"Anything." He stated, not really caring where they went or what they did.

 _As long as I'm with you, anything's great._

* * *

 **Oh Guren, first off, why must you continue to antagonize your mentor? You know it'll only lead you to trouble… (but since I am the author I guess I get him into all the trouble as well :)). This as you can probably all guess is a small filler chapter, since not much can really happen until we get to the apocalyptic side of the story (so just try to be content with reading GurenXMahiru for now). :) Happy New Year as well readers! I figured that since the official novel for Guren's backstory is coming out near the end of this month that I would post two chapters to celebrate it. (Although that might mean that all of you will read the novel instead… o-o. I better get writing!) Either way, please tell me what your thoughts are on this chapter! See you all at the end of the month with the next chapter!**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After hanging out the rest of yesterday with Mahiru, Guren could feel exhaustion pulling at him.

 _But training goes on…_

They were currently working on different 'teamwork' formations, which frustrated Guren to no end.

 _What's the point pretending to be a 'team' if you don't even need one?_

He cursed when Ushi ran into him, while he was trying to dodge their mentor's attacks. Since it was a 'team-building' exercise, their teacher had told them that he was the 'enemy' and they were supposed to defeat him.

 _It would be easy enough if I didn't have Ushi screwing up my attacks…_

He pushed his 'teammate' away from him and charged towards their teacher. He was rewarded for not working as a team by a quick rap to the side. He hissed in pain and retreated. This exercise was taking longer than usual. Mahiru had been sitting on the benches at the other end of the training arena waiting for him to get done training.

 _Which I would be done with by now if the teacher would just stop playing with us…_

He sent an apologetic look towards Mahiru before charging again.

"This again." His teacher stated, sounding bored. Just as Guren was about to strike, the teacher dodged and hit him in the back instead of the side this time. "If either of you want to win, you have to work as a team."

 _Work as a team… does that mean you can use you teammate as bait?_

He moved over towards Ushi, who had just been beaten back and was starting to get up.

"You can be the bait and I'll sneak around and hit him in the back." Guren stated, looking over to see Ushi looking furious.

"Who decided you were leader?! Besides, why do I have to be the bait?" Guren smirked before breaking away when their teacher charged at them.

"Because you're the more useless one on our 'team'." He watched as their teacher took the 'bait' leaving his back unprotected.

 _But does he really not know or is he just going easy on us?_ Guren shook his head, deciding that action was better than thinking. He quickly charged up and smacked their teacher in the back, causing him to momentarily lose him balance. He tripped over to the side, falling down on his knees before looking over at their teacher, who was glancing back between the two.

"Good work. Now we'll try it again tomorrow, class dismissed." It was that simple.

 _Seriously!?_

He glanced back over towards where Mahiru was before running towards their teacher.

"Sir!" He yelled and his instructor turned around.

"What? I thought I said class was dismissed." Guren bit back a retort and instead focused on catching his breath.

"You went easy on us, didn't you?" He asked and his teacher gave him a pointed look, before sighing.

"You two need to grasp the basics of 'teamwork'." He then whacked Guren on the top of his head before continuing. "Then I'll go hard on you."

Guren pushed away his irritation at being teased with.

"B-but sir. Why not just go hard on us to teach us a better lesson? I mean, if we start out easy and never build up to hard, then what do we learn if we're put in hard situations?" His teacher looked at him strangely before sighing again.

"You make a good point, although if I beat you two up a lot then you won't be able to come for the next lesson. Plus…" His teacher began before pointing over towards Mahiru. "I thought you might like to hang out with your girlfriend with the way you were glancing over at her every two seconds."

He felt his face heat up at his teacher's teasing remark.

"She's not my girlfriend…" He stated before feeling his face heat up more when his teacher laughed.

"Might not want to let her hear you say that." Gesei then slapped him on the back before nodding towards Mahiru. "Go have fun kid. Even soldiers need to enjoy themselves every once in a while."

With that said, his teacher walked away and Guren went towards Mahiru.

"Hi." He stated, trying to be nonchalant but he could feel that his face was still red. She laughed before glancing towards the direction his teacher went.

"Hello. So… what kept you this time?" He could hear the teasing as well as curiosity at what their conversation had been about in her voice.

"Did you just miss me getting my butt kicked by my teacher?" He asked, feeling success enter him when she laughed again.

"It kind of lasted a long time so I don't think I could have missed it if I tried~" He groaned, knowing that she wouldn't leave this alone.

"It was only for like… five minutes!" He protested, beginning to walk away from the training field, with Mahiru beside him.

"Hmm… nope. It was more like thirty~" He let out a huff of irritation at that before she laughed and then pecked him on the cheek. He smiled at this before noting that dark look that Ushi was giving them as they left.

"Can't have my boyfriend be upset when I hang out with him~" He laughed at this as well, before thinking back to what his teacher had called the two.

 _Huh… I guess we are a couple now…_

* * *

Mahiru had decided to take him back to the library again. Despite it being only a few days since they had last went, Mahiru told him that Shinoa had already read all of the books that she had rented out.

"Seriously?!" He exclaimed in wonder. Was it even human for someone to read that fast?! She only laughed at his expression before moving the backpack that she was carrying that held the books to a more comfortable position… and by that she meant throwing it to Guren and having him carry it. He caught it with ease but was still shocked.

"Yeah I know. She tends to basically absorb knowledge!" This had Guren thinking back to what Mahiru had told him a few days ago.

 _But… when does she have time to read the books if she has a ton of homework… and if she 'absorbs' knowledge, then why is she having trouble in school…_

"Hey Mahiru." She glanced over at him to let him know that she was listening while they walked towards the library. "Why does Shinoa have trouble with school if she learns as fast as you say she does?"

Mahiru bit her lip at this, making Guren worry.

 _What could those tutors be teaching her that's so hard for a kid…?_

"Her tutors are… different. Father says that they act differently because they are teaching 'efficiently' but I don't think that's the case…"

"Why's that? Gesei's harsh sometimes if that's what you mean but he still cares about us…" He trailed off upon seeing her downcast look.

"No… they're different. Cruel, harsh, they expect her to know stuff that's way beyond her level…"

"Why?" He found himself asking, although he thought he might know the answer.

 _Some people are just like that…_

"Father he… he's not the best and his influence tends to… change other people's views…" He was puzzled when she stopped talking and he glanced over, only to panic when he saw that she was indeed crying.

 _Not again! It must be pretty bad then if she actually does cry…_

He felt a streak of anger and protectiveness go through him. Before he knew what he was doing, he stepped towards Mahiru and put his arms around her. He felt her stiffen before she relaxed, and he could feel that she was shaking.

"I'll protect you." _Both of you…_

They stayed like that for a few more minutes before he realized what and where they were. He coughed in embarrassment before stepping away, releasing her from his grip.

"So…" He started, before he wasn't quite sure what he was going to say. He gestured towards the backpack around his shoulder and she nodded, a light blush on her face. He turned to continue to walk towards the library before she put a hand on his arm, stopping him. He turned to face her, seeing the blush was still present as well.

"Thanks." She stated, the blush deepening and he couldn't help but smile at her.

"You're welcome." He answered before grabbing her hand and continuing to walk towards their destination.

* * *

 **A short but sweet chapter between one of my favorite pairings. :) This one was quite fun to write as well. So this was supposed to be posted at the end of the month but I got it done early so I figured I'd post it before forgetting to when school comes around. Hope you all enjoyed and please let me know what you thought as well!**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


	7. Chapter 7

**WaveringEyes:** Thanks! I try my best! :)

* * *

Chapter 7

The trip to the library hadn't taken them long, apparently the lady at the desk knew Mahiru really well by now with how many times the girl had stopped at the library. After that, they had gone to get ice cream again before walking back to Mahiru's house, intent on giving the younger girl some ice cream and books.

"So her favorite flavor is chocolate?" Guren asked glancing down at the cup that he held in his hands. Mahiru had assured him that they would have spoons at their house so they could just eat there.

"Yep. She really seems to like it." Mahiru had a bright smile on her face, the backpack bouncing gently with each step she took. He still couldn't quite believe how many books they had picked up.

 _How can a girl that young read that fast…?_

He shook his head, dispelling the thought quickly. Some kids just read faster than others. He glanced over back at Mahiru, wondering what they should talk about next when he was stopped as she let out a bright smile. He stopped when she did and glanced back ahead, noticing that they were at a large gate.

"This is my home." She stated, smiling over at him and he glanced back at it in confusion.

 _Her… home is a gate?_

"This gate…?" He trailed off, not quite sure how to phrase the question. Mahiru must have known what he was going to ask however because she let out a small laugh before pushing the gate open, with him following her inside.

"No silly. My house is behind the gate. This is just a security precaution."

He nodded, still a bit confused before suddenly seeing the large house come into view. He couldn't help but stop and gawk at the size of the building. It looked big enough to house at least a few smaller families, if not more.

 _I mean… I knew she was wealthy but this is just…_ His thoughts were cut off when Mahiru gave another small laugh and grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the large door. He was still a bit dumbfounded so he could only stare at the house and say the first thing that came into his mind.

"Of course." He glanced over at Mahiru when she let another small laugh before she briefly knocked on the door, entering soon after.

Guren followed her, not quite sure what to expect. The house was quiet enough, with maids and other servants milling about, busy with their tasks. He glanced around, almost expecting Mahiru's sister to come bounding down the steps, but looked over at her in confusion when he didn't see the younger girl.

"Shinoa's upstairs. That's where the classroom is." He nodded, staring up the twin staircases that led to the upper area.

He heard hurried footsteps come from that area and he quickly glanced up to see who it was. What he saw however confused him greatly. A boy that seemed to be the same age as him came running down the steps, stopping just in front of Mahiru. Guren instantly took in the teen's appearance, silver hair with short bangs in the front and light blue eyes.

"I'm so glad that you're back, Love." What confused Guren more was not only that the teen was talking to Mahiru, but the fact that as he said this, he leaned in and gave Mahiru a gentle kiss on the cheek. Guren could only stare back and forth between the two in confusion.

 _What…?_

It suddenly clicked in his mind a moment later though and he instantly turned around, fury filling him.

 _It was all fake…_

He didn't bother closing the door, nor seeing the reactions of the two other occupants as he left.

* * *

 **Sorry for the month time skip on updating everyone! I got really busy with school and couldn't seem to find the time to update. Now this might be obvious, but who do you think the other figure in Mahiru's house is? Hopefully you still enjoyed the chapter despite it being shorter this time! Have a great month until the next update! Please let me know what your thoughts are!**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


	8. Chapter 8

**Eramis8:** Bring on the fun times! I am so going to love writing their interactions! :)

 **AmayR:** I try to release chapters on at least a monthly basis. Hopefully as summer begins I'll be able to write this more and get chapters out more than just once a month. :)

* * *

Chapter 8

"So I assume you explained to him about Shinya?"

"Yeah why do you ask?"

"Because he's still sitting over in the corner moping."

Guren glanced over at Shinoa when she said this, glaring at the younger girl who was currently eating her ice cream, acting unconcerned. He saw Mahiru shoot him a concerned look and he shifted a bit where he was sitting.

"I'm not moping." He stated, feeling his face heat up a bit. The younger girl gave him a pointed look before acting disinterested again and going to flip through the books that they had brought her.

 _I seriously thought she was lying…_

He glanced over at the closed door, where Shinya was most likely going to enter soon enough. The teen had said that he had something to take care of before meeting them up here. Apparently it was a common occurrence to hang out in Shinoa's room when they all wanted to talk about something…

 _That still doesn't make things any easier…_

He still couldn't believe what Mahiru had told him about the other boy and how all this had come about.

 _I mean… I knew that her father was harsh but the whole reasons for this engagement just don't make sense…_

From that stand point he pitied the other boy, the fact that he would be killed if Mahiru didn't show any interest in him. He glanced over at his friend, feeling suspicion enter him again.

 _Even though she said that she doesn't feel anything for him, who's to say she's not lying?_

As if Mahiru could feel his gaze on her, she turned her head towards him and smiled. He tried not to look away, still feeling a bit betrayed at the whole thing.

 _The least she could have done is told me…_

They broke gazes a moment later when a timid knock was heard, with Mahiru getting up to answer the door. He was just able to get a glimpse of silver hair, which caused him to glare at the figure that was hidden, before she slipped out the door.

"Seriously... I just don't know what she sees in that guy…" He muttered darkly, glancing back at the wall before he heard a small laugh. Shooting a glare over towards the eight year old still in the room, which she replied with an innocent look, he turned back towards the wall.

"She doesn't like him you know." Guren glanced at the purple-haired girl before glancing over at the closed door.

"And how do you know that?" He asked, not really expecting to get an answer as the girl turned back towards her book, making a bit of annoyance flow through him.

 _If she's going to tell me something, then she shouldn't just divert her attention that quickly…_

He strained his ears to try and hear throughout the door, but gave up when he couldn't hear anything. The room must have been soundproof or something…

"She talks about you a lot." His gaze whipped over at the younger girl when she said that, confusion and curiosity in his gaze.

"Really?" He asked, watching as the younger girl set aside her book and nodded. For being so young, she did seem really intelligent for her age…

 _Must be the reason that her tutors are pushing her so hard…_

"Yeah she's all like 'Guren's so handsome! I wish he'd just come sweep me off my feet and take me away at midnight just like in the old romance stories that I always read about!'."

He got up at that, surprise filling him as the younger girl also seemed surprised by his action.

"Seriously?!" He exclaimed, not really caring how loud his voice got. Shinoa just stared at him for a moment, excitement in her own gaze.

"Oh yeah totally!" The younger girl let silence stretch for a moment, leaving Guren to his own thoughts and surprise before she suddenly exclaimed. "No not really~."

At that, the younger girl started laughing, ignoring the dark look that Guren set her, and turning her attention back to her book. Guren sat down again, now in a darker mood than before.

 _Seriously who taught her to mess with me?_ He sighed a moment later when the answer became obvious in his head. _Mahiru…_

It was a known fact that when the two hung out, Mahiru always had something up her sleeve to get Guren flustered or just to mess with him. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't really that big of a surprise that she would teach her younger sister to be like that as well. He sighed, choosing to ignore the girl for the moment as she was doing the same to him.

 _The things I have to put up with…_

His head snapped up however when he heard the door open, his hopes soaring that it might be Mahiru. He was sorely disappointed however when he saw that it was Shinya. The other boy cautiously came in, closing the door behind him before going over to lean against the adjacent wall. Shinoa was ignoring the newest entry to the room so Guren figured that he might as well do the same, not that he hadn't been planning to do that in the first place… or he would have liked to except for the fact that he could feel the other boy's gaze on him, analyzing his every move. This continued on for a few moments, with Guren glaring back at the boy's calculating gaze, before Guren finally snapped.

 _This is annoying!_

"What?!" Guren snapped, glaring back at the other boy, as he tried not to shift uncomfortably from the stares of the other occupant. Shinya merely shook his head and stared back at Guren, confusion clearly trying to be masked but some of it leaking through, in his eyes.

"I just don't see what she likes about you…" The other boy trailed off and Guren glanced down at the ground trying to ignore his seething anger.

"Yeah well… the same could be said for you. You don't really seem that special either."

There were a few moments of silence between the two, with Shinoa ignoring them both for the time being before Shinya suddenly spoke up again.

"She doesn't…" The silver-haired teen trailed off, with Guren's head snapping up to look at the boy, who suddenly seemed much more fragile than before. Guren's head tilted a bit to the side in confusion as he stared at Shinya, who was looking slightly downcast and confused as he stared at the carpet. "The way she looks at you and me is different as well. She's only with me because she has to be while she'd rather much be with you."

Guren wasn't quite sure how to reply to that, his anger completely fading and suddenly being replaced with pity once again. He didn't know all of the circumstances that the other boy had had to go through to get to where he was, so who was he to judge him?

 _I shouldn't be so quick to judge him…_

"Would you two just make up already?" His head snapped over in surprise to see Shinoa flipping through her book, although it still seemed that she had been paying attention to the conversation. At his confused glance, the younger girl sighed, setting her book aside and sitting up a bit straighter. "So you're a tool for the Hiragi's to use." She stated as she pointed towards Shinya, which caused a bit of pain to spread in the other boy's eyes before turning towards Guren. "And you're the one my sister really wants to be with. Get over it and become friends already."

Guren's gaze went over towards Shinya, who was avoiding his gaze, instead choosing to stare down at the carpet.

 _Become… friends?_

The more he thought about it, what the younger girl said could be true, but Guren wasn't quite sure he was one to want to become friends with his rival…

 _Despite the circumstances that allowed us to meet, he's still the enemy…_

Shinya finally met his gaze, confusion in the other boy's eyes as well, although the other boy did nod before getting up and walking towards the door.

"If you'll both excuse me." Shinya stated before opening the door and exiting. Guren just stared at the door where Shinya had left in confusion.

 _What did that nod mean?_

He glanced over towards Shinoa to see a slightly disappointed look on the younger girl's face.

"Well that could have gone better…" She whispered, picking up her book again before leaning back against the pillows that were stacked on her bed. "At least you didn't kill each other though…"

Guren felt confusion run through him at her statement.

 _Kill him? Why would I do that?_

His gaze wandered back towards the door, wondering if it was more a jab at Shinya than himself, but shrugged when he realized that it could easily mean him.

 _Maybe Mahiru will know what she's talking about…_

The only thing left was to wait for her to get back and then figure out what they were going to do after that, so he settled back down in the chair and closed his eyes, focusing on the small noises that emitted from the other occupant in the room.

* * *

 **Apologies once again for this being late. The more I look at the version of Shinya that I'm currently writing, the more I think he acts like a character from Norn9… This might be a bit difficult. Allusions to Shinya's backstory are in this chapter so maybe take a closer look if you haven't picked anything out the first time reading this! :) I hope I did all of their interactions alright… I promise that the next chapter should be on time! Please let me know what you all thought, and if the characters seem too different from their mainstream counterparts!**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


	9. Chapter 9

**AmayR:** A lot more interactions between these three will be coming up. :)

 **Eramis8:** Thanks for the review! I'll try not to make Shinoa as annoying as she sometimes is in the show but she did learn it from her big sister after all. :)

* * *

Chapter 9

Guren glanced over towards Mahiru as she talked all about what Shinoa had done the day before and how it had surprised even the young girl. It had been a few weeks since he had met Shinya, with him not seeing the other boy since then.

 _At least he isn't stalking us or something…_

Guren had been pretty paranoid the next few days after they met, constantly checking everywhere they went to make sure that no one was following them. Mahiru seemed to find it funny that he did this, but he couldn't get the feeling that they were being watched out of his head, even to this day.

"She even corrected the teacher! Apparently the teacher had put the wrong answer on her latest problem, and Shinoa had corrected the answer that the teacher put on there."

Guren stared over at Mahiru in surprise as they walked towards where their next class would be.

"Really?" He asked, glancing back when he felt himself being watched again.

 _It's just strange…_

"Yeah, the teacher said it was just a test but this morning Father said that the teacher wouldn't be coming back and that Shinoa was going to get a new one. I hope this one's nicer to her…" She trailed off and glanced back towards where Guren had just looked at, a smile on her face. She let out a small laugh and Guren sighed.

"What?" At his downcast look, she stepped a bit closer, grabbing onto his arm and giving him a light hug.

"Nothing it's just silly that you keep doing that. You do know that he's not following us, right?"

Guren sighed again, resisting another urge to glance back. Even though she had told him multiple times that Shinya was rarely let out of the house and into the public, and that her father wouldn't let him out to spy on Mahiru, it still bothered him.

 _But how come she doesn't feel it?_

At his sigh, she tugged on his arm, stopping him from walking forward. She turned towards him, concern in her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He stared down at her, before leaning up against the wall that they had stopped next to.

"Nothing it's just…" He trailed off, trying to reevaluate his thinking before continuing to answer. "Don't you find it weird?"

She gave him a confused look and he sighed again, using his hand to run it through his hair.

"You're supposed to be engaged to Shinya, not to hang out with any other guys right?" She nodded with concern at this, a bit of sadness in her eyes when he said this. "And then suddenly you come home with another guy and your father doesn't question it at all." He shook his head, trying to clear the muddled thoughts that his mind was trying to solve. "It's just strange…"

She was silent for a moment, looking down at the ground, biting her lip as a sign of her frustration. That was a habit that he had noticed that she had created, always biting her lip when something was bothering her or frustrating.

 _I don't want to bother her though… she has enough to think about already…_

He grabbed her by the shoulders lightly, looking into her eyes when she glanced up at him, confusion in her eyes.

"Sorry, I just seem to worry too much." She nodded and they began walking towards their class again, picking up a more brisk pace so they wouldn't be late.

"That's fine but…" She trailed off and he looked over at her in confusion this time, not really being able to pick up her emotion this time. "He did ask about you though…" He stopped at that, nearly running into another pair of students and stared at her in surprise.

"Really?!" She nodded and he felt a pang of worry go through him again, causing him to glance around quickly to make sure no one suspicious was watching them.

"Yeah but when he asked I told him that you were dating Shinoa. It didn't seem to bother him as much~."

"What?!"

After a few moments of silence, he finally realized that she was playing with him again, causing him to let out another sigh. He picked up the pace again, easily catching up with her.

"Don't joke around like that." He muttered under his breath, causing her to let out another laugh before turning into the classroom, with him following her shortly. They sat down in their usual seats beside the windows, his desk in front of hers.

"So what do you think we'll learn today?" He groaned at Mahiru's question, watching as she got out her book and materials for the class.

"Who really cares? All I can't wait for is training!" His voice had risen in excitement, causing some of the students to glance their way before going back to ignoring them. Mahiru let out another laugh, opening her notebook to a new page and dating it.

"You really do love that, don't you?" She phrased it like a question even though Guren knew that she already knew the answer. He nodded, moving to turn around in his chair, staring at the blackboard in front of them.

"Yeah I mean, if I can't fight then what can I do?" Joining the military had been one of his goals since he was younger and he finally had a chance to prove himself.

 _Even if it is just the basics, I'll learn it all someday…_

Mahiru stared at him is silence for a moment before a bright smile broke out on her face.

"Well… I could name a few things that you're good at doing besides fighting~…"

He whipped around to stare at her, his face heating up a bit. He rolled his eyes before focusing back on the board in front of them as the teacher came into the room.

"Don't play jokes right now…" He whispered, listening as she let out a quiet laugh, stifling it behind a hand.

"Alright class, turn in your books to page 247 but before we start, we have a new student." Guren rolled his eyes, bending down to regretfully get out his book.

 _Probably some student who didn't register on time like the rest of us…_

"Why don't you come in and introduce yourself?" He heard the teacher say, but he was already ignoring the whole thing, focusing on finding the right page so that he could get ahead. He lifted up his book a bit, instead choosing to hold it up and away from the desk, as he flipped through the pages.

"Hello everyone." At the voice of the new student, Guren whipped his head up, dropping his book as soon as he saw who the person was. "My name is Shinya Hiragi. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you." As Shinya said this, he was looking over towards where Mahiru and Guren were seated.

 _No way…_

* * *

 **So, this chapter is late but I'm running out of ones to post (that I prewrote), besides the ones that take place later in the fanfiction. Really need to re-watch the show to get inspiration but lately I haven't had the time to sit down and do that. What did you all think of the chapter? More people seem to be reading this, which makes me quite happy. I just hope I continue to write the characters the way that they're supposed to be. Have a nice month until the next update!**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


	10. Chapter 10

**Eramis8:** I'm sorry. As far as I know, they never stated Shinya's last name before Hiragi. I try to avoid looking at their wiki pages so that I don't spoil myself for the light novels on their pasts. That way, this fanfiction isn't exactly like the novel.

 **HiiragiMeguzhuo (Guest):** Glad to know that you like the story! Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint!

* * *

Chapter 10

"No, no, and no!" Guren yelled as he walked out of class, Mahiru at his heels. He only stopped because she had pulled on his arm, enough to keep him from exiting completely so that he had to move back into the room to avoid the students who were able to leave. He turned back towards her, seeing a mask of concern on her face.

"I don't really see what the problem is. So what if Shinya's here?" She stated, but he could clearly tell that she was slightly distressed because of these turns of events as well. He sent a glare over towards the silver-haired boy, who raised his hand in greeting. He let out a huff of anger, instead choosing to focus on his purple-haired girlfriend.

"You didn't know he was going to be coming here?" He asked, leaning down a bit so no one could hear them. She shook her head before glancing over at Shinya, who was conversing with some of the girls who had stayed behind to talk to him.

 _That's just great…_

"Let's go say hi." She whispered back, catching him off-guard and pulling him over to where Shinya was. He tried to drag his feet but nearly stumbled when she pulled him harder.

 _She's not hesitant at all…_

"Good morning Shinya!" Mahiru raised her hand in a greeting, to which the teen nodded towards her in greeting as well.

"To you as well Mahiru. How was Shinoa this morning?"

Guren found it curious that the teen was asking this when he lived in the same house as the younger girl.

 _That's kind of strange… what else could he have been doing?_

Mahiru looked like she was about to reply but one of the girls who had been talking to Shinya chose to speak up at that moment.

"Oh Shinya! Do you already know Mahiru?"

Mahiru froze and Guren felt himself freezing up as well. If people found out about Mahiru and Shinya's engagement…

 _People will be quick to gossip and then the news will reach her father…_

He sent Mahiru a frantic glance, noticing that she was glancing at Shinya. The other boy merely let out a small laugh before glancing over towards Mahiru.

"We've been childhood friends for as long as I can remember. I've had the privilege of staying with her family as a kind of… exchange program."

Guren let out a sigh of relief at this, apparently the other boy had figured out what to say if this ever came up.

 _Thank goodness…_

He watched as the girl turned towards Mahiru, a smile still on her face.

"Really? Why haven't you mentioned him before Mahiru?"

Guren had to resist the urge to snap at the brunette. What Mahiru's reasons were for not mentioning Shinya before now were her own and this girl didn't have a right to know any of them. Mahiru clearly wasn't bothered by this however because there was still a smile on her own face, something Guren would never understand was how the girl could hide her emotions like that.

"Shinya's been homeschooled since he was young. We used to be in the same class until I transferred here. He chose to stay at home and help tutor my younger sister." The other girl seemed shocked by Mahiru's response and Guren couldn't keep the small smirk off of his face.

 _Serves you right._

It was most likely a good thing he hadn't butted in between the two girls. He knew well enough that Mahiru could handle herself and if he had jumped in and defended her…

 _She might have been angry at me that one time but surely not now as well…_

He glanced over at Shinya to see that the other boy was also watching the conversation with amusement.

"So this is how girls fight…" Shinya muttered, and Guren looked over at him slightly surprised.

"Yeah, they don't use their fists but it's still amusing." He watched as the other boy continued to observe the 'fight' that was going on.

"Indeed." At this Guren let out a small laugh before realizing what he had done. Shinya glanced over at him in mild amusement before turning back towards the girls.

 _No…_

"We are not becoming friends." He hissed over to Shinya, causing him to get Mahiru's attention a bit. Shinya glanced over at him in mild confusion, before turning back to the girls after saying.

"If that's what you think is happening."

At that, Guren stalked out the room, Mahiru following him hesitantly. He could clearly tell that she wanted to ask what had happened, but he just wasn't ready to talk about it yet.

 _Maybe after practice…_

* * *

 **I'm not going to lie. One of the reasons it took me so long to get this chapter out is because I've caved and started reading the light novels. Quite a bit of differences from what I can see of the way the characters interact so far but I'll try my best to keep the two universes separate. What do you all think so far? Hopefully you are all still interested despite the shorter chapters and long wait time.**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


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